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Vassal Lane Upper School

Q: Is Vassal Lane Upper School a good school?

Vassal Lane Upper School ranks 121 st of 484 Massachusetts middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

121^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 484 Massachusetts Middle Schools

Better than 75% of Massachusetts middle schools

Summary

Vassal Lane Upper School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in Cambridge, MA. With 258 students, the school consistently ranks in the top 30-40% of Massachusetts middle schools, outperforming the state average in MCAS proficiency across all subjects and grade levels.

Vassal Lane Upper School's academic performance is particularly strong in English Language Arts, with 6th and 8th-grade students scoring above the Cambridge district average. In Math, the school also performs better than the district average in 6th and 8th grades. While Science proficiency is an area of relative weakness, the school's overall performance is impressive, with English Language Learners and students with disabilities ranking in the top 10-15% and top 35% of Massachusetts middle schools, respectively.

Compared to nearby schools, Vassal Lane Upper School outperforms Rindge Avenue Upper School and Cambridge Street Upper School in both ELA and Math proficiency. Rindge Avenue Upper School, also part of the Cambridge district, ranks in the top 15% of Massachusetts middle schools, while the Medford and Chelsea school districts have much lower-performing middle schools in comparison.

298

Students ?

7.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$40,197

Per pupil spending ?

42.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

158 Spring Street
Cambridge, MA 02141

(617) 349-6550

District: Cambridge

Students who attend Vassal Lane Upper School usually attend:

High:

Cambridge Rindge and Latin

Feeder schools for Vassal Lane Upper School:

Elementary:	Amigos School
	Cambridgeport
	Fletcher/Maynard Academy
	Haggerty
	More...
	John M Tobin
	Kennedy-Longfellow
	Maria L. Baldwin
	Martin Luther King Junior
	Morse
	Peabody

Racial breakdown:

White:

35.6%

African American:

27.2%

Asian:

17.4%

See top rated Massachusetts middle schools

Compare Vassal Lane Upper School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 51st percentile in 2015 → 75th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (50% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 25% of Massachusetts middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Near the bottom of Cambridge's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg56%

Massachusetts avg41%

121^st of 484

Massachusetts public middle schools ?

Top 25%▲ up 24 pts since 2015

From top 49% (2015) to top 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Middle Schools in the Cambridge

81^st of 348Cambridge among Massachusetts districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	72.2	121 of 484	75.0%	★★★★☆
2024	67.0	143 of 493	71.0%	★★★★☆
2023	74.9	118 of 501	76.4%	★★★★☆
2022	56.7	186 of 497	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.9	137 of 501	72.7%	★★★★☆
2019	69.9	145 of 498	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	77.7	104 of 484	78.5%	★★★★☆
2017	75.9	112 of 487	77.0%	★★★★☆
2016	68.8	143 of 482	70.3%	★★★★☆
2015	50.5	217 of 441	50.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	46.1	105 of 206	49.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.1	105 of 202	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.0	100 of 209	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.8	107 of 212	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.4	86 of 193	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.3	72 of 195	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.2	46 of 172	73.3%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	14.4	109 of 127	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.7	91 of 120	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	45.3	81 of 134	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.4	94 of 135	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.5	73 of 123	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.0	79 of 128	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.5	84 of 119	29.4%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	75.5	61 of 445	86.3%	★★★★☆
2021	81.7	45 of 431	89.6%	★★★★☆
2019	71.5	81 of 424	80.9%	★★★★☆
2018	62.0	107 of 417	74.3%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	70.2	12 of 181	93.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	79.5	90 of 473	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	71.5	124 of 481	74.2%	★★★★☆
2023	77.3	100 of 489	79.6%	★★★★☆
2022	58.4	182 of 494	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.0	117 of 483	75.8%	★★★★☆
2019	72.3	127 of 478	73.4%	★★★★☆
2018	68.0	147 of 463	68.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	66.3	99 of 376	73.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	52.9	185 of 464	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.1	223 of 469	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.3	235 of 481	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.6	271 of 489	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	60.7	139 of 462	69.9%	★★★★☆
2019	62.9	136 of 452	69.9%	★★★★☆
2018	66.0	120 of 438	72.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	62.0	158 of 473	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.3	172 of 483	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.4	134 of 489	72.6%	★★★★☆
2022	53.7	204 of 497	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.8	166 of 485	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.2	168 of 478	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	85.5	56 of 466	88.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	74.5	32 of 116	72.4%	★★★★☆
2023	77.0	27 of 110	75.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	76.4	68 of 435	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	76.9	60 of 441	86.4%	★★★★☆
2023	86.8	35 of 444	92.1%	★★★★★
2022	46.3	242 of 503	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.5	110 of 489	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	65.3	113 of 484	76.7%	★★★★☆
2018	70.9	70 of 467	85.0%	★★★★☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	75.7	108 of 491	78.0%	★★★★☆

Tested Remotely

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	55.0	124 of 339	63.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2025	89.8	33 of 386	91.5%	★★★★★
2024	80.2	68 of 392	82.7%	★★★★☆
2023	87.3	44 of 403	89.1%	★★★★☆
2022	70.5	93 of 404	77.0%	★★★★☆
2021	77.4	68 of 401	83.0%	★★★★☆
2019	85.7	40 of 396	89.9%	★★★★★
2018	88.3	30 of 395	92.4%	★★★★★

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2025)93rd percentile+18 vs school

White (2025)91st percentile+16 vs school

Disabled (2022)86th percentile+24 vs school

Special Education (2025)84th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)81st percentile+6 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)78th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)74th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)72nd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)67th percentile-8 vs school

Tested Remotely (2021)63rd percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)60th percentile-15 vs school

African American (2025)49th percentile-26 vs school

Asian (2025)14th percentile-61 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts54%+13 vs state

Mathematics51%+11 vs state

Civics46%+7 vs state

Science40%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Vassal Lane Upper School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts (2025)							MCAS Next Generation Mathematics (2025)							MCAS Next Generation Science (2025)			MCAS Next Generation Civics (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Civics 8th Grade	Total
Vassal Lane Upper School	Public	6-8	158 Spring Street	Cambridge	02141	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-6550	298	43	7.0		106 (35.6%)	81 (27.2%)	37 (12.4%)	52 (17.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (7.0%)	72.2	121^st of 484 public middle schools	75.0%		67	143^rd of 493 public middle schools	71.0%	22				54.6	51.8	56.0	54.1				53.5	44.7	55.3	51.3		40.0	40.0	45.9	$40,197
Cambridge Street Upper School	Public	6-8	840 Cambridge Street	Cambridge	02141	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 349-3050	301	36	8.2		102 (33.9%)	95 (31.6%)	35 (11.6%)	26 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	38 (12.6%)	52.2	203^rd of 484 public middle schools	58.1%		53.8	202^nd of 493 public middle schools	59.0%	1				38.6	52.3	49.4	47.2				28.4	42.1	40.2	37.2		30.2	30.2	26.7	$37,291
Next Wave Junior High	Public	7-8	81 Highland Ave	Somerville	02143	Middlesex County	Somerville	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 629-5640	16	5	3.1		6 (37.5%)	2 (12.5%)	6 (37.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (12.5%)								(n/a)							7.1							0.0					$74,046
Putnam Avenue Upper School	Public	6-8	100 Putnam Avenue	Cambridge	02139	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 349-7780	283	32	8.9		79 (27.9%)	72 (25.4%)	29 (10.2%)	55 (19.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (16.6%)	80.2	92^nd of 484 public middle schools	81.0%		76.3	107^th of 493 public middle schools	78.3%	15				53.4	62.6	70.4	61.9				48.3	57.8	50.6	52.3		48.8	48.8	58.0	$38,081
Rindge Avenue Upper School	Public	6-8	70 Rindge Avenue	Cambridge	02140	Middlesex County	Cambridge	No	No	No	No	(617) 349-4060	292	31	9.4		145 (49.7%)	56 (19.2%)	33 (11.3%)	29 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.6%)	90.3	56^th of 484 public middle schools	88.4%		86.9	65^th of 493 public middle schools	86.8%	9				64.4	70.7	72.5	69.2				71.9	50.0	73.3	65.1		63.5	63.5	63.3	$35,443
John J. McGlynn Middle School	Public	6-8	3004 Mystic Valley Parkway	Medford	02155	Middlesex County	Medford	No	No	No	No	(781) 393-2333	464	53	8.8		232 (50.0%)	67 (14.4%)	88 (19.0%)	40 (8.6%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.3%)	35.5	288^th of 484 public middle schools	40.5%		33.3	310^th of 493 public middle schools	37.1%	22				28.9	28.2	36.4	31.2				27.0	32.1	31.7	30.2		26.2	26.2	29.6	$24,808
Madeleine Dugger Andrews	Public	6-8	3000 Mystic Valley Pkwy	Medford	02155	Middlesex County	Medford	No	No	No	No	(781) 393-2228	435	49	8.9		269 (61.8%)	45 (10.3%)	63 (14.5%)	34 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.1%)	59.9	178^th of 484 public middle schools	63.2%		54.6	200^th of 493 public middle schools	59.4%	22				44.4	42.0	46.9	44.5				42.8	45.4	28.6	38.5		45.7	45.7	49.3	$22,740
Eugene Wright Science and Technology Academy	Public	5-8	180 Walnut Street	Chelsea	02150	Suffolk County	Chelsea	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 466-5240	436	45	9.7		40 (9.2%)	23 (5.3%)	369 (84.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	18.8	397^th of 484 public middle schools	18.0%		19.9	390^th of 493 public middle schools	20.9%	7			26.1	24.1	32.7	22.7	26.4			11.5	8.1	23.1	5.3	12.1	23.9	11.6	17.5	15.6	$25,598
Joseph A. Browne School	Public	5-8	180 Walnut Street	Chelsea	02150	Suffolk County	Chelsea	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 466-5235	487	54	9.0		27 (5.5%)	36 (7.4%)	419 (86.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	11.8	438^th of 484 public middle schools	9.5%		10.8	453^rd of 493 public middle schools	8.1%	15			17.4	17.0	12.4	16.1	15.4			16.2	8.0	6.9	16.2	11.2	29.4	12.0	18.4	13.6	$23,450
Higginson-Lewis K-8 School	Public	3-8	131 Walnut Avenue	Roxbury	02119	Suffolk County	Boston	No	No	No	Yes	(617) 635-8247	213	23	9.2		10 (4.7%)	78 (36.6%)	117 (54.9%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.8%)	9.4	451^st of 484 public middle schools	6.8%		6.6	483^rd of 493 public middle schools	2.0%	32	0.0	9.5	0.0	26.5	7.3	5.3	8.6	3.6	4.8	0.0	17.7	0.0	2.6	4.8	8.0	5.3	6.4	8.3	$41,639

Frequently Asked Questions about Vassal Lane Upper School

How many students attend Vassal Lane Upper School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 298 students attended Vassal Lane Upper School.

Is Vassal Lane Upper School a good school?

Vassal Lane Upper School ranks 121^st of 484 Massachusetts middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Vassal Lane Upper School in?

Cambridge

What is the racial makeup of Vassal Lane Upper School?

Students at Vassal Lane Upper School are 36% White, 27% African American, 17% Asian, 12% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Vassal Lane Upper School attend?

Students who attend Vassal Lane Upper School usually go on to attend Cambridge Rindge and Latin

Rate Vassal Lane Upper School!

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Latest Massachusetts data All new data »

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesMar 5, 2026

2024–25 MCAS Next Generation test scoresSep 29, 2025

2023–24 school spending dataMay 8, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 1, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.